A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged in connection with an incident that took place on Tuesday when a Kashmiri man was denied check-in at the Pleasant Inn Hotel in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, Delhi Police said on Friday, 25 March.
The man had been told by the hotel staff that the reason for the denial was "directions" from the Delhi Police.
A complaint was received in this regard in the Mahendra Park police station, DCP (Northwest) Usha Rangnani said, in which it was stated that some students from Kashmir were denied accommodation at the hotel, despite showing their Aadhaar cards as proof of citizenship.
The video viral on social media shows the man providing his Aadhaar card to the hotel reception and even offering his passport to check-in at the hotel, but to no avail.
'No Directions Provided By Police'
In the video of the incident, the reason for cancellation of the man's booking was said to be directions from the police.
A day after the incident, the Delhi Police issued a clarification and denied that they had issued any such direction that would cause the hotel to refuse the man a room.
Rangnani said that a case had been filed under IPC section 153 B (1) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and that the investigation was underway.
She also reiterated that no such direction had been issued to the hotel.
Rejecting allegations of their involvement in the matter, Delhi Police on Wednesday had said, "Aggrieved person in the video while posting the same on YouTube has stated that he stayed in the same area in another hotel and it was a lame excuse given by the hotel".
Police also added that some netizens were trying to "discredit the image" of the police through "wilful misrepresentation of the video", adding that this could attract penal action.
Since the incident, Oyo Rooms has taken the hotel off its platform and said, "We are appalled that this happened... Our room and our hearts are open for everyone, always."
The incident comes in the wake of The Kashmir Files, a film that has taken centre stage in India, with theatres becoming grounds for anti-Muslim slogans and hate speeches.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)